Cute! Elegant! Frogs! Frogs?

Lauderdale exhibit shows them in all their splendor

In the original Brothers Grimms' fairy tale, The Frog Prince, a princess meets a homely frog who magically transforms into a handsome prince after she throws him against a wall.

In amphibian circles, though, frogs are exalted as among the greatest beauties on Earth. And did we mention they can sing?

Hoping to change a toady image, the traveling exhibit Frogs: A Chorus of Colors opens today at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale. On display: 75 frogs representing about 20 species and habitats from Asia, Africa and the Americas.

"I think they're just misunderstood," says Kristin Szwajkowski, the zookeeper at Reptiland, the frogs' permanent home in Allenwood, Pa. She thinks their beauty and elegance is overlooked.

"A lot of frogs are nocturnal and not out when we're out," she said. "And those we see locally might not be as lovely as others. Even when it comes to children's stories, it's always the stereotypical, plain green frog. Everybody thinks: Kermit."

The exhibit has 15 live frog habitats. The biggest is the African bullfrog, which can grow to more than four pounds and eats about anything it can fit in its mouth. The smallest is the dime-sized golden mantella from Madagascar. It uses a chirpy call to entice a female mate, then wrestles any male that gets in the way by flipping it on its back.

Lucky for the princess that her mate wasn't a dart poison frog. Known for their dazzling shades of blue, green and yellow, the tiny South American natives carry enough poison to kill 20,000 mice or 10 people.

In South Florida, alas, you're more likely to spot a toad than a frog. The cane toad, an invasive species from South America, runs rampant, keeping a lid on the insect population. (Biggest frog myth: They cause warts. They don't; a virus causes warts).

How can you tell a frog from a toad? The frog has longer, leaner legs that put a spring in its hop. The toad has short, squatty legs, a so-called "walking hop," and bumpy skin, usually brown in color.

According to amphibian experts, frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords. They "sing" by pumping air back and forth across their vocal cords. And they've been singing for about 180 million years.Depending on the species, the frog croaks, yaps, grunts, whoops, trills, growls or whistles, using calls to signal danger or serenade a mate.

"They're like the birds of the night. From the deeper calls to the little trills, if there are a few different species out, it's a very pleasing sound," Szwajkowski said. "Like listening to nature."

Some frog choruses can be heard a mile away.

"Frogs have kind of an universal appeal," Szwajkowski said, sprinkling tiny, live fruit flies into the habitat of the dart poison frogs, who quickly pick them off. "They have more personality than a snake that just sits there. They hop around and do things. We might think they're goofy, but they're just being a frog."

Kathleen Kernicky can be reached at kkernicky@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7907.

Check it out

See more photos of the live Museum of Discovery and Science frog exhibit, in downtown Fort Lauderdale, at Sun-Sentinel.com/frogs

INFORMATIONAL BOX:

Follow the Frogs

Frogs: A Chorus of Colors, a live frog exhibit, opens to the public today and runs through Sept. 7. The traveling exhibit, locally sponsored by Ameriprise Financial, comes from Reptiland amphibian and reptile zoo in Allenwood, Pa.

Weekend events include:

Friday, from 1 to 3 p.m., meet the "frog keeper" who cares for the many species of frogs on display.

Saturday, at 11 a.m., a live frog feeding, followed by "The Frog Prince" puppet show for kids at 12:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, at 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., guest speaker Michael Brennan, president of the Sawgrass Herpetological Society.